You want a flat screen TV (lets face it...they look good) that's HD ready and you've heard about digital television but you don't know if you can receive either of these. Oh yes and you're not sure which is better LCD or Plasma. Most of the time the sales advisor in the shop doesn't know anything about the technology or why one product is better than others. What they do know, is how to sell. Plus they will sell you anything whether you need it or not. Well hopefully, we'll try to break it down into very simple points, so you know you are getting the right product for you.
High Definition (HD) basically improves the quality of the picture (approx. 4x better) and manufacturers are continuously trying to improve the picture quality. You may say "I'm happy with the image I have already" but wait till you see anything in HD then you will not want to go back to Standard Definition. Films and documentaries come to life when you have your television set up properly. This is why I have listed a few points below the following deals to help sort this out for you and to know what TV to buy. Also remember there may be some cheaper deals for smaller manufacturers but I try and recommend those that have a good reputation and that have good enough technical specifications to warrant purchasing it in the first place. I often see posts on other websites for cheap HDTVs but then when I see the tech. specs. I understand why they are so cheap. I try to avoid these.
Matt's Quick Answers:
Get an LCD for HD through Sky or Virginmedia
Get a full HD Plasma TV for Blu-ray or HD-DVD (42" +) if you can afford it.
If you are only watching normal tv (i.e. Freeview) don't worry too much about resolution. It will be quite a while before HD will be available via Freeview.
There will be exceptions to these rules - the main one being this: Some Plasma TVs that offer small resolutions have such a great contrast ratio that the picture quality is still good. But in general my rule sticks - High Definition means higher resolution and if the TV doesn't have it then you're not getting true HD, no matter how good the uprezzing is in the TV. See below the following deals for a more detailed explanation about what the technical specifications actually mean.
1st Audiovisual and Direct TV seem to constantly have the cheapest prices and from various blogs I have read, they seem to have very satisfied customers.
Cheapest HD r
eady flat-screen TV (i.e. for those wanting a flat screen TV to save space or even just to get the cheapest HDTV for your HD programmes.
£299.97
Very cheap HDTV and quite good tech. specs. for the price.
Cheapest HD ready LCD TV (i.e. one that has a good picture for Sky or Virginmedia HD)
MATT's BEST BUY!!!!! Great TV for price! Would definitely recommend this one - superb contrast ratio and good brightness for the price!
100 Hz
550cd/m2 Brightness
8000:1 Contrast Ratio
1366x768
8ms Response Time
Cheapest HD ready Plasma TV (i.e. one that has a good picture for Sky or Virginmedia HD)
Cheapest 'top notch' HD ready TV (for those who have Blu-ray, HD-DVD or PS3)
Contrast ratio 8000:1
Full HD (1920x1080)
2 HDMI Slots
100Hz Refresh Rate
Contratst ratio of 10000:1
Other Recommended TVs from Amazon:
Recommended links:
Plasma or LCD - Provides in depth guides to HD, Plasma or LCD tvs, plus reviews and deals on some of the best flat screen tvs.